呀

Two senses share the 1st tone: (1) a standalone exclamation of surprise — 呀！— sharper and more abrupt than 啊; (2) the creaking onomatopoeia of doors, hinges, oars, or anything wooden under stress, typically in the pattern 呀的一声 ("with a creak"). The toneless sentence-final particle 呀 is a separate reading and lives on its own page.

Reduplicated 呀呀 is the standard form for baby babble and continuous creaking; 咿呀 pairs the same sound with 咿 for the classic "infant learning to talk" phrase 咿呀学语. In standalone exclamation use, 1st-tone 呀 is more dramatic and less common in everyday speech than the toneless particle reading.